Quick links

£30m rated Manchester United target hints at future

Kevin Strootman says that he wants to remain at Roma and play in the Champions League next season.

Manchester United may have to work a lot harder if they do indeed want to sign Kevin Strootman from Roma in the summer.

The 24-year-old midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford due to the arrival of Louis van Gaal. The 62-year-old will reportedly become the new permanent manager of the Premier League giants and, according to The Sunday People, he is keen on signing his Dutch compatriot at the end of the season.

United will have to cough up around £30 million if they want to recruit Strootman, who joined Roma from PSV only last summer. The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the best all-round midfielders in Europe, as his ability to push his team forward as well protect his defence has made him into a complete midfield player.

The former Sparta Rotterdam and Utrecht star is currently recovering from a knee injury that he suffered against Napoli in March and will sit out the World Cup. The Netherlands international, though, is expected to regain his fitness by the start of next season.

However, it now appears that Strootman may not necessarily look to move from Italy just yet, as he has pledged to help Roma win the Scudetto next season. Rudi Garcia’s side started the 2013-14 campaign brilliantly and were at one stage looking to push Juventus all the way in the race for the Serie A title, but eventually they had to settle for second place, qualifying for next season’s Champions League in the process.

‘Finally I’ll get to play in this competition (Champions League)’, he told Roma channel. ‘I am happy for the club and for our fans. Will we be ready for the Scudetto next year? I think so, yes’.

That is a strong hint that Strootman wants to stay in Rome and, more importantly, play in the Champions League. Manchester United, a bigger club than Roma they may be, cannot offer that. Will the two-time European champions still be able to entice the star Dutchman? Let’s wait and watch.

Subhankar Mondal

A football journalist based in Wakefield, Subhankar Mondal has previously worked for Goal.com International and Skysports.com, and has had his sports articles published in The Guardian and The Observer. He has also been on the BBC in the past and his name once found its way to the pages of the World Soccer magazine. He was recently cited in a major Louis van Gaal biography.